What a pity that the key-notes of so few natures
correspond, at the critical moment, with our own; and that Providence
sees fit to forward, by even negative help, so small a proportion of our
superbly-conceived plans!
It was half-past eight when they drew up at the boarding-house door. No
sooner had Cornelia set foot within the threshold, and caught sight of
Abbie's face, than it was borne in upon her that Bressant was not there;
and the former, after questioning her about Sophie's non-appearance,
confirmed her fear. He had not come, nor was it now probable that he
would arrive before morning. It would have been useless to expect him by
the late train, due at half-past ten, since, to avail himself of that,
it would be necessary to make a difficult connection by walking two or
three miles from one railway to another.
After climbing to such a height, it was terrible to fall. Cornelia
had not allowed herself to anticipate the disaster, precisely because
it was so crashing. In a moment the great, rainbow-tinted bubble of her
hope and imagination had burst, leaving only a bitter and unpleasant
sense of the paltry and unclean materials--the soap-suds and
clay-pipe--wherewith it had been created.
Furthermore, the polite fictions which she had lubricated her conscience
withal, regarding her desires and intentions, were shown up at precisely
their true value, and a very discreditable spectacle they made.
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